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The webinar was cohosted by the World Council of Churches (WCC) and Mennonite World Conference.
Rev. Prof. Dr Fernando Enns, a WCC executive committee member from the Association of Mennonite Churches in Germany, moderated the discussion.
He opened the webinar by providing a short history of the Anabaptists, including why they were known as “the radical Reformation.”
Panelists then discussed how the church’s focus on doctrinal questions sidelined Jesus’ call to seek justice and live nonviolently. From a Mennonite/Anabaptist perspective, participants explored how recovering these aspects can contribute to the renewal of church witness today.
Dr Andrew Suderman, director of Global Partnerships for the Mennonite Mission Network, and secretary of Mennonite World Conference’s Peace Commission, reflected that it’s interesting to see the way the early church, at the time during which the Nicene Creed was developed, was “still tying to get their feet under them,” particularly as the creed went from its interpretation from Greek to Latin.
Dr Nancy Elizabeth Bedford, Georgia Harkness professor of Theology at Garrett Theological Seminary (Evanston), US, agreed that the early church was figuring things out along the way. “It wasn’t set in stone,” she said. “I really appreciate that aspect of the whole Nicaea process.”
Dr Andrés Pacheco Lozano, a lecturer and researcher at the Mennonite Seminary in The Netherlands, reflected that many Mennonite congregations do not encounter the Nicene Creed.
“Even though I grew up in a Mennonite household, it was only the moment I started to study theology that I encountered the creed,” he said.
All three speakers addressed criticisms of the creed.
“I think that one of things that has been central to the Anabaptist and Mennonite critique of the Nicene Creed is the forgetfulness of the centrality of Jesus’ life and ministry and teachings, and I think that’s the key point that causes angst about the creed itself,” said Suderman.
The webinar was part of a series in the lead-up to the WCC Faith and Order World Conference under the theme “Where now for visible unity?”
WCC Faith and Order, in collaboration with Christian World Communions, is organizing the series to explore key theological, ecclesiological, and missional questions relevant to contemporary Christian unity.
